Justin Roberts has a show at Vashon Theatre
Justin Roberts and The Not Ready for Naptime Players — one of the best known bands on the indie family music circuit — will return to the Island for a concert at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, at Vashon Theatre. The band will play audience favorites as well as songs from their new CD, “Jungle Gym,” which has received rave reviews from critics. “With Jungle Gym, Roberts continues to craft masterpieces in miniature, equivalent to A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh or Kevin Henkes’ stories for children. Like those books, Roberts’ songs are likely to reach across and through generations,” said NPR music critic Stefan Shepherd. To sample Robert’s music, visit www. justinroberts.org.
Equus Projects return
The Equus Projects, a New York City-based performance company, will present “Dancing in Real Time,” at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13, and Saturday, Aug. 14, at Heart of the Horse Farm. The Equus Projects is a nationally recognized company of dancers that has been transforming equestrian arenas and hillsides into performance spaces with horses since 1998. The company returns to Vashon after its 2009 sold-out performances of “Resting Ground” here. The new performance will build on its previous ones to create a new work, featuring Jami Sieber, an acclaimed Northwest vocalist and electric cellist, and local purebred Arabian horses. The performance will feature complex choreographic patterns alternating with improvisational interactions between dancers and horses, and threaded together by a solo rider and horse. The Aug. 14 show is sold out. Tickets for the Aug. 13 show, $25, are available by advance purchase at Books by the Way, Blue Heron, Vashon Bookshop and www.dancingwithhorses.org. Inclement weather cancellation information will be made available the day of the performance at (718) 916-3528.
It’s Islewilde time again
Islewilde, an annual participatory festival on Vashon, will kick off on Friday, Aug. 13, with free art and performance workshops for the community that will continue through Aug. 19. The festival’s free public performances will take place on Aug. 20 and 21. For more information, including the location and theme of the festival, call Doug Skove at 795-4344.
Ukulele Festival will feature beloved players
A local group of ukulele enthusiasts is gearing up to present Vashon’s first Ukulele Festival, set to take place on Aug. 14 and 15. The festival will kick off at 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, with screenings of the award-winning documentary film “The Mighty Uke” at Ober Park. On Sunday, Aug. 15, the festival will shift to Camp Burton, where activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. During the day, the festival will boast workshops taught by professional teachers and performers, open mics for local performers, children’s activities and vendors selling instruments and CDs. Food and beverages will also be available. The evening will be given over to performances. A master’s open mic with local ukulele masters will warm up the stage from 5 to 6 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by a performance by jazz great Michael Powers. Powers recently discovered the ukulele and just released a new CD with all-uke music. A performance by the legendary Hawaiian ukulele player Herb Ohta, Jr., will close the festival. A Facebook page, Vashon Uke Fest, details all the festival’s events. To register for workshops, e-mail russ@sounduke.com. Advance tickets for the concert cost $9.75 and $15, and can be purchased at Vashon Bookshop and www.brownpapertickets.com.
